It’s all about the people.
The senior finance market across Australia remains competitive. There is no point pretending otherwise.
But here is the important point that often gets lost in the noise.
"Great finance professionals are landing great roles every single week."
Is it a broken market? In some cases, yes, the way some companies are hiring would suggest it is.
But the reality is that the market is more selective. Hiring decisions are taking longer, and businesses are being more deliberate. The candidates who approach their search with a clear strategy are still securing excellent opportunities.
The biggest shift?
The old job search playbook no longer works.
At senior levels, the days of sending dozens of applications and waiting for the phone to ring are largely over. A single advertised Senior Finance role can attract 300 to 400 applicants. That level of competition demands a different approach entirely.
The professionals succeeding right now are doing three things well: building genuine visibility in their market, leveraging their network with real intent, and partnering with specialist recruiters connected to the people making hiring decisions.
Let us look at what the data says, what we are seeing on the ground, and what it means for both candidates and hiring businesses.
Employment is at record levels. Australians are working record hours and despite two years of economic uncertainty, the labour market has proven remarkably stable.
That said, macro statistics rarely capture what is actually happening inside specialist markets. At the CFO, Financial Controller, and Finance Director levels, conditions remain highly selective, and the gap between what businesses want and what is available remains the defining challenge.
Encouragingly, the recruitment industry is forecast to grow by around 3% in 2026, after a relatively flat 2025. Not explosive growth, but a clear signal that the market is beginning to move forward.
Finance & Accounting: What we are seeing
Demand for senior finance talent remains strong, particularly for professionals who combine technical depth with genuine commercial thinking.
• Accounting and finance roles rank among the most in-demand professional roles nationally
• Finance Manager salaries in businesses above $300m turnover regularly reach $180k, with high performers commanding up to $220k.
• 87% of finance leaders globally report shortages of specialist finance talent, even as broader candidate supply has increased.
• The highest demand is for professionals who can translate financial complexity into strategic decision-making for leadership teams and boards.
• Financial planning and advisory roles are rebounding after several slower years, driven by a wave of senior adviser retirements and constrained talent pipelines.
The message from hiring businesses is consistent: technical excellence is the price of entry. The real value lies in finance leaders who can partner with the broader business and influence strategy.
Candidate trends
From the candidate side, this is the most competitive market we have seen at senior levels in several years.
• Elevated supply at the most senior levels following restructuring across multiple sectors. Some executives are taking six to twelve months to secure the right opportunity.
• AI-generated CVs and automated application tools have dramatically increased application volumes without improving role fit. Hiring managers are receiving more applications than ever while finding fewer genuine matches.
• 61% of finance professionals say they are open to moving roles in the next twelve months.
• 60% believe they are underpaid, including many earning above $250k, a persistent driver of movement regardless of market conditions.
The result is a curious dynamic: more candidates are in motion, yet organisations are still struggling to find exactly who they need. Volume has gone up, but the quality of the match has not.
What is driving hiring decisions?
The criteria businesses use to assess finance leaders are evolving fast.
Technical qualifications such as CA, CPA, CIMA, and ACCA remain highly valued. But they are no longer enough on their own.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and the ability to communicate complex financial matters simply.
• Commercial thinking and genuine strategic contribution to the leadership team.
• Comfort using AI and automation tools to generate faster, sharper insight.
• Adaptability as finance functions continue to be reshaped by technology and regulation.
• Leadership presence and the credibility to influence boards, executives, and cross-functional teams.
Recent surveys confirm what we are seeing firsthand: 84% of employers say the biggest capability gaps they encounter are not technical but behavioural. Communication, adaptability, and leadership have become the true differentiators at the senior level.
The reality of job applications
One of the most common frustrations I hear from senior finance professionals is straightforward.
"I have applied for dozens of roles and heard absolutely nothing back."
This is not a reflection of your capability. It is a structural problem.
When a Senior Finance role is advertised publicly, it can attract hundreds of applications. Many of them are from experienced, credentialed, commercially astute professionals.
Applying online at that point is a probability exercise, not a strategy.
The strongest candidates at this level are approaching the market differently. They are:
• Crystal clear on the value they bring and the specific problems they solve for a business.
• Building visibility and presence in their professional network before they need a job, not after.
• Engaging directly with decision makers and specialist recruiters rather than relying on job boards.
• Treating their LinkedIn presence and personal brand as a genuine competitive advantage.
• Leveraging referrals and warm introductions, which remain the highest-converting path to a senior role.
The hidden job market
Many of the best senior finance roles are never advertised publicly.
They are filled through networks, through relationships built over years, and through trusted recruitment partners who know which businesses are about to move before the brief hits the market.
If your entire search strategy lives on job boards, you are playing a game that was not designed for the level you are at.
What this means for hiring businesses
For organisations looking to hire senior finance talent, current market conditions present a genuine opportunity.
There is more high-quality talent available right now than at any point in the last three years.
But the best candidates remain selective. They are not desperate, and they will walk away from a slow process, an unclear brief, or a role that does not tell a compelling story.
Businesses that are consistently securing top performers are doing the following:
• Moving decisively when a strong candidate is in front of them. Delayed decisions are losing top talent to faster-moving competitors.
• Selling the role, not just describing it. Top performers want to understand what this opportunity means for their career trajectory, not just a list of responsibilities.
• Offering a genuine total value proposition: flexibility, visible career pathways, meaningful development, and a culture worth joining.
• Running streamlined interview processes that respect the candidate's time and reflect well on the business.
• Investing in succession planning now, before the market tightens again. The businesses caught scrambling will be the ones who waited too long.
The finance functions that will come out of this period strongest are the ones treating recruitment as a strategic priority, not an administrative task.
The outlook for the rest of 2026
The honest answer: cautiously optimistic, and with genuine reasons for that optimism.
• The labour market remains stable and employment is growing, with full-time roles leading the way.
• Hiring confidence is gradually returning after two years of caution and cost scrutiny.
• Brisbane and Queensland are seeing increased activity in finance, energy, and infrastructure.
• Sydney continues to lead in financial services, private equity, and technology-adjacent finance roles.
• Organisations that spent much of 2025 restructuring are beginning to invest again in senior finance leadership capability.
This is not a boom. But the direction of travel is clear.
For well-positioned finance professionals and forward-thinking businesses, 2026 is full of opportunity. The question is not whether the market will move. It is whether you are ready when it does.
Final thoughts
People are securing excellent roles in this market every single week.
The difference is rarely experience, it's rarely qualifications.
It is preparation. It is visibility. It is relationships.
The finance professionals who succeed are the ones who approach their career strategically and stay active in their market even when they are not actively looking. The businesses that hire best are the ones that treat recruitment as a competitive advantage, not a cost to minimise.
The market is moving. The question is whether you are ready to move with it.
HPR Consulting - Your Partner in Senior Finance Recruitment
With more than two decades of experience placing senior finance professionals across Australia, HPR Consulting partners with businesses and finance leaders to navigate complex hiring decisions.
Whether you are building a finance team or considering your next career move, our network, insight and experience are here to support you.
Reach out any time.
